Lately, the federal government has spent a lot of money advising its citizens to make sure they take the time

to be counted this year.

Friday, March 03, 2000

Lately, the federal government has spent a lot of money advising its citizens to make sure they take the time

to be counted this year.

This is the year for the Census, which gives government the chance to count the nation’s population and determine where it is concentrated.

Those numbers give communities the information they need to take advantage of certain government programs and can affect which types and how much funding an area receives.

But to get an accurate picture and to make sure southeast Ohio is represented properly, citizens in this area have to make sure they fill out their Census forms.

The task shouldn’t really be that stressful – maybe just a few extra minutes while you are watching television.

And filling out the forms is important for another reason, too. The more people who fill out the forms the first time, the less advertising money the government is going to have to spend pleading with citizens to participate. Those advertising dollars are our tax dollars that could certainly be put to better use.

Procrastination has become a pretty common habit these days and messages from the government are not exactly high on most people’s priority lists.

But when you get this one, remember, ignoring it could cost you some money.